Gamers have a good time podium end that brings exemption from conscription, saying the strain was ‘out of this world’.
Revealed On 20 Sep 2026
Iran withstood a late fightback to beat China 79-70 and win the Asian Video games males’s basketball bronze, an achievement that left their gamers “speechless” after months of conflict again residence.
China led 31-29 at half-time in Nagoya, however Iran took cost within the third quarter to guide 55-46 going into the fourth and held on to immediate wild celebrations and safe a spot on the rostrum on Sunday.
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“To be trustworthy with you, I’m simply speechless,” stated 6ft 8in (203cm) energy ahead Arsalan Kazemi, who, in 2013, was the primary Iranian to be drafted into the NBA by the Washington Wizards however by no means made a regular-season look.
“The strain that we had on us is simply out of this world,” he added.
“Not a number of athletes can say that, with the way in which that it has been for nearly six months, what we’ve been via, what our households have been via.”
“I simply congratulate the folks of Iran as a result of they deserve a lot better.”
“And I believe my teammates and I put our hearts out on the court docket as we speak simply to get this win and make them completely happy,” Kazemi stated.
Teammate Arman Zangeneh stated the squad had been via quite a bit, but it surely was price it.
“If you happen to get the medal on the Asian Video games, you don’t have to go to the military any extra, so it’s large for some gamers,” stated the 6ft 6in (198cm) ahead.
“We had a really powerful two months. We went to the Philippines to play the qualifiers, then instantly we got here right here.”
“It was actually troublesome. And residing in a container, with the meals and all the things, it was onerous, very onerous.”
“Ultimately, we acquired to the purpose the place we go residence with a medal, and it means quite a bit,” Zangeneh added.
Male athletes from the nation’s nationwide groups who win medals on the Asian Video games are granted exemption from obligatory army conscription in a transfer introduced by Iran’s former Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2018.
Beforehand, solely medallists on the Olympic or world video games have been exempt from the draft, in response to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim information company.
Iranian males reaching the age of 18 are required to serve two years on energetic responsibility and are then transferred to the reserve drive.
